{"id":20668,"date":"2021-12-21T16:22:55","date_gmt":"2021-12-21T16:22:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bfpg.co.uk\/?p=20668"},"modified":"2024-04-22T14:14:49","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T14:14:49","slug":"summit-for-democracy-biden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bfpg.co.uk\/2021\/12\/summit-for-democracy-biden\/","title":{"rendered":"The Summit for Democracy \u2013 Where Next on the \u2018Year of Action\u2019?"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the 9th<\/sup> and 10th<\/sup> December 2021, US President Joe Biden convened a virtual Summit for Democracy as part of his bid to reinstate America\u2019s commitment to democratic norms. More than one hundred world leaders and civil society representatives came together around an agenda focused on challenging authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting human rights, with an emphasis on the collaborative use of technology to achieve these aims.<\/p>\n

President Biden opened the Summit by declaring that \u201cwe stand at an inflection point\u201d, with the future of democracy facing \u201csustained and alarming challenges\u201d. The Covid-19 pandemic has gripped the world during a period of sustained democratic backsliding, with 2021 being the fifth consecutive year in which more nations moved towards authoritarianism<\/a> than democracy. With Russia escalating its military build-up along the Eastern border of Ukraine \u2013 and continuing to occupy areas of Ukrainian territory \u2013 and tensions rising between the West and China, the Summit sought to forge a sense of unity during a time in which our strategic rivals appear increasingly empowered.<\/p>\n

Tensions leading up to the Summit<\/strong><\/p>\n

The composition of the Summit was decided under a cloud of controversy, with the decision taken to share invitations with a series of nations accused of democratic backsliding, including Brazil and the Philippines. The United States justified its decisions as seeking to galvanise support for democracy, rather than to shame weaker political systems. Nonetheless, several nations with an expectation of participation were also actively excluded. The inclusion of Serbia, Croatia and Poland, but not Bosnia and Herzegovina<\/a> was seen to be particularly contentious. Criticisms were also made regarding the lack of invitation to nations such as<\/p>\n

Hungary, Turkey and Singapore, as the definition of what constitutes a \u2018democracy\u2019 ultimately became a grey area. The decision to exclude Hungary as the only EU member state not invited to the Summit saw President Viktor Orban attempt to leverage Hungary\u2019s veto to prevent the EU\u2019s participation being officially classified as an EU foreign policy delegation.<\/p>\n

Strategic Rivals React<\/strong><\/p>\n

Russia and China marked the opening of the Summit through publishing a co-authored article by their respective Ambassadors to the United States, denouncing the conference as a product of outdated, Cold War thinking. The Russian Government also produced a long statement outlining the failings of democracy in the United States, and China produced a white paper on the value of \u2018consultative democracy\u2019. China\u2019s leaders clearly regarded the Summit as a \u2018with us or against us\u2019 occasion, retaliating against various international partners which had agreed to attend and praising those which declined.<\/p>\n

Nicaragua, a nation that has had longstanding diplomatic ties with Taiwan, is said to have cut ties with Taiwan<\/a> following pressure from China leading up to the Summit. On the other hand, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson tweeted that Pakistan is a \u2018real iron brother\u2019<\/a> for declining its invite to the Summit.<\/p>\n

Despite deciding to include Taiwan in the Summit, the United States was cautious to navigate the substance of its tensions with China at the Summit, and censored a Taiwanese Minister\u2019s video while she was presenting at the Summit after she shared a map<\/a> that showed Taiwan in a different colour to China.<\/p>\n

Initiatives and outcomes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ahead of the Summit, the United States announced sanctions against Iran, Syria and Uganda and against individuals in Kosovo and Central America, in an attempt to rally momentum. President Biden also produced a domestic American anti-corruption strategy, with an emphasis on curbing illicit finance. The initiatives from the Summit<\/a> include:<\/p>\n